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Capturing our thoughts, organizing our days, sending someone a note to let them know we’re thinking of them. Stationery and journals provide a way to both be present and fully engage our minds to focus on things without the distraction of a screen or technology that can include dings, pings, and other ways to draw our attention to places we don’t need to go at the moment.
Keeping a journal has been a part of my life since before I can remember. Much like having a book to read or time for a walk, having a journal handy every day when I have time to write is non-negotiable. Send something when the moment comes or even though I have stationery to plan my day, week, month or year, it’s nice to write it down on paper and forget about it so the day unfolds as intended.
Along with all this, our journal and our stationery make something that we find beautiful and special to us, perhaps it is better to say, our signature, reminding us of the importance of engaging in this way regularly. Strengthening and maintaining the relationships we cherish while being at the top of our lives without obsession. By putting it down on paper in terms of planners, notepads, etc., let’s forget about it and move forward knowing clearly where we are going.
So, now, let’s talk about where to find that signature journal and/or stationery in Britain. Below are seven, some well-known, some new to the game, but worth exploring, so we can each find our signature style.
The crème de la crème of luxury. If you’re looking for a reusable luxury journal, invest once and then refill with their replacement lined paper journal. Explore all the many options for them Refillable luxury journal.
A well-known name in London for their journals, planners and sports. Find a variety of journals with unique titles that fit your interests, your life chapter and focus.
3. Smithson
Although well known for their leather goods and planners, it’s their stationery that always catches my eye (and fits my budget better). Simple, yet unique, makes a statement without saying too much. I’ve pulled a few examples below that caught my eye, but be sure to shop their entire collection.
A new name in the stationery game, Papersmiths was co-founded in 2013 by Sidonie Warren in Bristol. “Since then, Sidoni has brought Papersmiths’ offerings to some of your favorite hangouts in Britain: Brighton’s North Line, Soho and around the corner from Sloane Square, Classic Source on Sidneys Road and Sidneys’ Source. Hard-to-find gems in the world of stationery from designers and makers around the world.”
I love delving through their site to find unique journals and notebooks that fit your hobbies, passions, and focus, while also sharing journals that align with our goals or goals, giving us the tools to find success in our own way. I’ve included a handful below, but be sure to peruse the entire site.
5. Mark + fold
Another new journal company in the game, and offering unique designs to suit your passion. From their travel journal that has a pocket for all our tickets so you can save them as a souvenir, they also offer complete box sets to help you plan and stay organized for a successful year.
Founded in 2014, Breakfast takes its cue from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, where the White Queen tells Alice: “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Focused on sustainable stationery, their ethos is guided by the reality that small things really can make a big difference: “In the chaos of everyday life, stationery may be the smallest thing, but it holds the biggest potential. With the right tools, the possibilities are endless, and your next chapter begins.”
With notepads and journals, discover if their approach to staying organized and keeping your ideas in an easy-to-find place speaks to you.
7. Select Keep
And I have to include this unique and very special shop which is located in the heart of London, but also online, shipping worldwide. Last year, you may remember, included a giveaway from Choosing Keeping. This is a store that offers a huge collection of unique finds for all of us creatives, but for today, I’m sticking to journals. From traditional sizes, to extra thick and even sketch pads, the covers are beautiful and the work you put on the pages will inspire you every time you write, doodle, sketch or dream.
And I ended up with this very special bookbinding company because they make Commonplace Books which introduced me to the concept. And while they specialize in commonplace books (lined or blank pages), they also sell various sizes of sketchbooks and more.
If you aren’t already, and are a top tier member, make sure you enter our first giveaway of the Festival of British Week as one lucky member will receive a Commonplace book of their choice, as they ship worldwide.
Whether we are choosing a journal to collect our thoughts, a planner to organize our days and our dreams, choosing what is beautiful and functional enhances our daily life and contributes to a truly deep peace and lasting peace. You can find styles that speak to you and treat you.
Explore all posts from this year’s British Week
